by your side
by nedlovesyou
Summary: "That is why I fight with you." / Snippets of the development of Steve and Wanda's relationship as the events of Civil War are set into motion.
**Hey all! My first attempt at writing for the MCU. It's a little intimidating as I feel I don't know nearly enough about this world as everyone else seems to, but I've rewatched AOU and the Civil War trailers enough the past few days to feel confident enough posting this. I just love these two a lot and I'm really interested to see their dynamic in Civil War, especially after this interview with the Russo brothers about Steve mentoring Wanda. comicbook 2016/01/07/russos-talk-captain-america/**

 **I tried to make everything fit within canon. Let me know what you think! And enjoy!**

* * *

"WANDA!"

Steve's voice calling her name pulls her out of her own head and into the present. It's not the first time he's had to help her regain control of her powers during a mission, nor does she suspect it will be his last.

"Remember to breathe!" he coaches from across the street, where he's still in the middle of a nasty fight with Crossbones. Luckily, Sam and Natasha had taken out enough mercenaries to free themselves up to help take their leader out. It shouldn't be long now.

Wanda finds cover behind an empty truck, where she closes her eyes and tries to find a balance within herself. She had discovered a while ago that the telekinetic and empathetic nature of her powers takes a toll on her own emotions and, with too much uninterrupted use, her mind will essentially shut itself down. At the suggestion of her new teammates, she had decided to give meditation a try. So far, it's been working. Any time she starts to lose control during a mission, Steve will give the order for the others to provide her with enough cover to step out of the battle and collect herself.

Having done this enough in the past year, it only takes Wanda a minute to gain back her control. With a glimpse over her shoulder, she sees that Vision and Rhodey have joined her other teammates to finish Crossbones off. Mustering up all of her remaining energy, she steps back into the street and fires her strongest hex bolt in their enemy's direction. Crossbones falls the moment it makes impact.

"Woo!" Sam shouts victoriously from the air as he begins his descent back to the ground. "Way to finish him, Maximoff!"

Wanda looks up at him with a wide smile, elated and proud. This is the first time that she's been the one to finish the fight for her team. It's a nice feeling, one she finds herself hoping she will get used to.

"Let's get this jerk back to HQ before he decides to wake up," Natasha says breathlessly, offering Wanda a congratulatory nod before Sam and Vision move in to help her with transporting Crossbones' unconscious form.

Steve gives Rhodey an order that Wanda doesn't fully pick up in her triumphant daze, and then heads in her direction.

"That was impressive," he compliments with a grin. "But we've still gotta work on your control."

Wanda blows out a puff of air, as if deflating. She looks down and shakes her head, though she knows she shouldn't be surprised that he would try to use this moment of victory as a learning opportunity. It's what he's always done. Still, she feels the need to defend herself.

"I have never pulled myself back that fast!"

"I know," Steve agrees, "and I'm proud of you for that. But I also know you're capable of faster."

Wanda narrows her eyes at her leader, and he stands his ground by crossing his arms over his chest. She knows he's right, and so does he. He's always trying to push the team to their limits, to make them better. Especially her. She had been the most out of shape physically and mentally when they first began training, but Steve has always known just how much to push her in order to make her better.

"Alright, Captain…" Wanda concedes, but not before promising with a determined smile: "You won't even notice me next time."

/

Steve's blood was already boiling… and then the bastard decided to bring up Sokovia. Suddenly the screen before them is filled with images of the city plummeting through the sky, taking with it a part of every person who once called the city home and leaving behind a poignant reminder of the damage that can be left in the Avengers' wake.

His features are rigid with anger, but as his gaze shifts to find the Sokovian sitting across the table from him, he softens. Wanda's taking a shaky breath, turning away from the screen as her eyes fall to the floor.

"That's enough," he says firmly, letting General Ross know that he crossed a line.

Wanda is looking at him when he turns to check on her, a smile of gratitude on her lips but pain still heavy in her eyes. He knows his memories of that day hold nowhere near the same amount of weight as hers do, but still, he feels tethered to her in some way. He finds himself struck with the memory of carrying Pietro's body back to the Helicarrier, and of helplessly looking down as the city fell. He can still feel the relief he had experienced upon finally seeing the scarlet of her jacket peeking through the clouds below as Vision flew her to safety. It had comforted him to know that one Maximoff would make it out of this alive.

He remembers Wanda falling to her brother's side, clutching his face in her hands and screaming. She had stayed like that until they landed and Clint softly pulled her to his side to guide her to the base. As they passed Steve, she stopped and turned slightly towards him.

"Thank you," she had said, her eyes fixed on the white star at his chest. "For bringing him to the ship."

Steve is pulled back to the present when Wanda's lips move, uttering a silent thank you.

/

Three days later, Steve finds Bucky. Wanda can sense it the moment that he and Sam enter the base.

It's hard not to be happy for him. She can see his relief in the way he carries himself, and she can feel it in the energy he projects. His lifted spirits seem to have a positive effect on the whole team – they start training harder, and they spend more off time together as a group instead of in their separate quarters.

On Bucky's first night in the tower, the team stays up through the early morning just talking with each other. Steve hardly leaves Bucky's side, as if there's a string running through both their bodies that links them together. Wanda's so happy for him, so happy for them both, really – but she can't help feeling so sorry for herself.

She and Steve had each had strings running through their hearts that lay at their side with frayed ends. She could see hers every time she caught her reflection, and she could see Steve's on every quiet night they spent together in silence. It had always made her feel less alone. Now, the end of Steve's string was tied to another while Wanda's still lay lifeless at her side.

"How are you?"

Steve's voice breaks through the silence of the kitchen. Wanda had excused herself to get a glass of water, but once she was alone she found herself starting to break down.

There was a time that she would have lied to Steve – in fact she had, many times. He had made an effort to check in with her a lot in her first couple of months as an Avenger, but she was determined not to share too much of herself with the others. Today, she can think of no other option than honesty.

"It's difficult," she admits, "seeing you with your lost brother."

Steve's brows knit together in confusion, before realization dawns. "You see yourself and Pietro?"

"Yes," she answers. "I see the way we used to be."

Wanda smiles as memories of Pietro enter her mind, and Steve smiles back briefly before the heaviness returns to her. Her eyes flicker between his as she seems to be wondering if she should say what she wants to say next, and he waits patiently for her to continue.

"I have always seen a part of myself in you…" Wanda explains slowly. "The part of myself that has lost home."

Steve's heart surges in his chest. He wonders if Wanda had been able to see what her magic made him dream so long ago – if she had seen him dancing in another time with Peggy and if she had heard her asking him to go home.

"Now, you have regained some of what you had lost. I see a lightness in you and…" Wanda's voice begins to break, "I wonder if I will ever have again, too."

Steve's automatic response is to close the distance between them and pull her into an embrace. Her hands slide up to clasp together between his shoulder blades and she lets him pull her tight against him. It's not the first time he's comforted her in this way, but she's never been more grateful for it. Her ear is pressed to his chest in such a way that she can hear his heart beating, and she uses the rhythm of it to center herself.

"You will," he says, the determination in his tone no different than it is when he's giving her orders in the field. She finds herself believing him.

When they rejoin the others, Steve takes his seat next to Bucky and stops Wanda before she can return to her chair across the room, instead pulling her down to sit on his other side. Wanda imagines his string split in two, one end still tied to Bucky and the other making a knot with the frayed end of hers.

/

Wanda still has trouble trusting Tony Stark. She knows the man isn't all bad, that he has good intentions – but she knows more than most just how quickly those good intentions can go awry. So when he shows up at their next meeting with Ross spewing the same nonsense about government control and battle lines start to be drawn, Wanda knows which side she stands on.

That night, she goes to the common room to wind down with the others, but she finds the room to be empty. Their headquarters is certainly quieter now that Rhodey and Vision have left and, with the way today's meeting went, Wanda suspects Natasha will follow their lead shortly. It makes her feel too childish to admit, but she hates when people leave. She hopes that Natasha will at least say goodbye.

As she's walking back to her room to turn in for the night, she catches a glimpse of a figure in the gym. Taking a closer look, she realizes that it's Steve. He's going to town on a punching bag, his signature line of spare bags behind him indicating that he plans to make a night out of it. Wanda wonders briefly if she should leave him alone, but she suspects he needs company just as much as she does.

"Something on your mind, Captain?" she asks upon entering the gym, a hint of humor in her tone. She's surprised to hear him laugh in response.

"Now what could I possibly have to be upset about?" he quips.

Wanda smiles, making her way to one of the spare punching bags and plopping herself down on it. Steve stills the bag hanging in front of him and starts to unwrap his hand as he lowers himself to sit on the mat across from her.

"Something on your mind?" he asks.

Wanda pulls her knees to her chest and rests her chin on her knee comfortably. "Nothing you're not already thinking about."

Steve lets out an agreeable sigh. It had been quite a day for him – for all of them, really. He and Tony have certainly had their fair share of disagreements, but this? This was on a whole other level. It's one thing to fight a clear enemy – an alien, a robot – but to fight against an idea? To fight against teammates and friends? It's something Steve isn't sure he's prepared to do.

"I want you to know," Wanda's voice breaks through Steve's thoughts, "that I am loyal to this team. To you."

Steve believes her wholeheartedly. He had considered her fighting alongside him a given, just as he had with Bucky and Sam. It isn't until now that he realizes he had done so.

"Why?" he asks. It surprises Wanda because there's no uncertainty in his tone – he seems only to ask so that he can hear her reasoning out loud.

"I have been fighting with you since the beginning," she explains. "Ever since you asked me to stop that train in Seoul. You were the first to give Pietro and me a chance to be heroes."

Steve smiles at the memory. He'd hardly been thinking rationally when he made his decision that day – he'd just gone with his gut. He had always seen Wanda and Pietro not as villains, but as people who had gone through something not much different than he had in order to help their country. He admired them for that. He can't say he was surprised when they showed up to help him on the train. As far as he was concerned, there had always been a spot for them on the team and it was up to them when they took their rightful places.

"You were already heroes," Steve shrugs. "You just didn't see it yet."

Now it's Wanda's turn to smile.

"That is why I fight with you," she says firmly.

"Good." Steve stands up and offers a hand to Wanda that she takes without hesitation. "Because I'm gonna need you."

Wanda pulls her hair back into a bun as she follows Steve to the center of the gym. They take their positions on opposite sides of the mat and lift their fists into sparring position. There's a sparkle in Wanda's eyes as she sends him a challenging look.

"Shall we get started then?"

* * *

 **I'm so ready for Civil War, y'all. So ready. This just amped me up even more!**


End file.
